Being short has its advantages sometimes. In 1991, Stephanie Jennings was a young, talented and up-and-coming music photographer based in Philadelphia working for a local rock magazine. That September, the Huntsville native and University of Alabama grad got the opportunity to shoot on the red carpet and backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards, or VMAs, in Los Angeles.
Jennings isn’t the tallest individual, which worked out just fine at the VMAs. “I was able to get in the front,” she recalls now, “so people [other photographers] were still able to shoot.” She adds, “No pun intended, or pun intended, I was very focused on what I was doing. You know, I wasn’t talking to anybody, just very focused on who was coming through, super excited to see everybody and take their picture.”
The ’91 VMAs were held at Universal Amphitheater and hosted by talk show star Arsenio Hall. The show featured live performances by the likes Prince, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, LL Cool J, Mariah Carey, EMF, Van Halen and Don Henley.
The VMAs marked first public appearance of Pee-wee Herman, aka Paul Reubens, since his much publicized and widely mocked July arrest at a porno movie theater. At the VMAs, Pee-wee opened the show by asking the crowd, “Heard any good jokes lately?”
R.E.M. at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. (Courtesy Stephanie Jennings)Stephanie Jennings
R.E.M. were the night’s big winners. The Athens, Georgia, alt-rockers took home six “MTV Moonman” trophies, including the VMAs’ biggest award, Video Of The Year, for the band’s mandolin-powered hit “Losing My Religion.” “Which was super exciting,” Jennings says, “because I loved R.E.M. I had been a fan forever, so I felt like that was where they should be. Like, it didn’t surprise me.”
R.E.M. at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. (Courtesy Stephanie Jennings)Stephanie Jennings
At the ’91 VMAs, she snapped photos of R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry holding their Moonmen trophies. She also got a photo taken with Stipe that night. And a pic of her holding one of R.E.M’s Moonmen.
R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe and photographer Stephanie Jennings at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. (Courtesy Stephanie Jennings)Stephanie Jennings
Jennings had met the famously dour Stipe before, back in her days in Tuscaloosa at University of Alabama, after the then-underground band played an on-campus concert. “After the show I had him sign my leg,” Jennings says with a smile. “He wasn’t thrilled about that, but that was me back in the day.”
The ’91 VMAs presenters were pop-culture striation: Cindy Crawford, Dennis Hopper, George Michael, Cher, N.W.A, Billy Idol, James Brown, MC Hammer, Steven Tyler, Linda Hamilton, Pauly Shore, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey (as “Wayne’s World” characters Wayne and Garth), Color Me Badd, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Jason Priestley and Jennifer Connelly.
MTV VJ queens Martha Quinn and Downtown Julie Brown told viewers what was coming up next. “MTV News” anchor Kurt Loder conducted backstage interviews. Celebs ranging from “Wonder Years” child actor Fred Savage to Poison guitarist C.C. DeVille also appeared.
Cindy Crawford at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. (Courtesy Stephanie Jennings)Stephanie Jennings
Jennifer captured a striking photo of Crawford on the red carpet in mid-turn. “Of course, [as a fashion model] she just knew how to work it, you know what I mean? And this is, you know, in the beginning of all these [supermodels].”
Jennings’ VMAs photos crystalized essence of larger than life celebs. Her experience as a concert photographer was crucial. “Anticipating these antics,” she says.
This was before photography went digital and was still on film. “Whereas when I started, “Jennings says, “the camera did not do anything for you. You had to [manually] focus and everything else.” Jennings shot with a Canon camera, and then when she got back home to Philly developed the negatives and printed the photos and sent them off for publication.
“That’s what I captured here,” she says, looking at a print of one of her Cindy Crawford images, on display in her ongoing career spanning photo exhibit at Huntsville audio/video retailer AVIQ. “It is not like being able to look on the back of a screen [of a digital camera] and tweak it or anything.”
It was Jennings’ first experience shooting among paparazzi. “I saw how the paparazzi were sabotaging each other,” she says. “Them, like, unplug each other’s stuff and all of these things.”
She says paparazzi would also yell obnoxious things at artists as they walked through trying to get their attention. “I didn’t want to be those people,” she says. “I really enjoyed having the relationship that I did with the artists, especially the ones that I admire, and being courteous.”
A Lee High School grad, Jennings cut her teeth as a photog while studying at University of Alabama. She worked for local event photography company Zap. She also took pics of touring bands like 10,000 Maniacs that played at nightclubs on Tuscaloosa’s Strip. A huge Grateful Dead fan, she photographed Dead concerts That led to her becoming a tour photographer for those jam-band kingpins.
In Philadelphia, Jennings built up her portfolio shooting performances ranging from magicians Penn & Teller to rising rockers like Stone Temple Pilots. She became the photo editor at the local Philly music rag she worked for. The experiences gave her cred to cover the ’91 VMAs.
Jennings’ VMAs work helped score representation with a prominent New York agency, which got her photos placed in national outlets like SPIN, People, and Us Weekly. That led to her returning to shoot the VMAs the next few years.
Besides the VMAs, Jennings also shot at the after parties, which she recalls as “pretty amazing.” These were held at Universal’s studio. The set up included TVs everywhere blaring videos by that night’s VMAs winners.
At one of the VMAs after parties, likely in 1992, Jennings was watching a Metallica video play. “And somebody behind me was like, ‘What do you think of that video?’ And I was like, ‘It’s pretty cool. I don’t really listen to that type of music.’ And I turn around, and it was [Metallica bassist] Jason Newsted. And I was like, ugh, I just photographed them in the tent.”
Metallica singer/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich at an MTV VMAs after party. (Courtesy Stephanie Jennings)Stephanie Jennings
Jennings recovered and got Metallica singer/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich to pose for photos. That led to her work getting in Metal Edge and other big heavy metal magazines. “That what I learned I need to research who I’m taking pictures of,” she says.
The 1992 VMAs, hosted by Dana Carvey, remains one of the show’s most legendary. That’s the one where GN’R frontman Axl Rose got into a preshow spat with Nirvana singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, singer for the band Hole and Cobain’s wife.
Black Crowes at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards. (Courtesy Stephanie Jennings)Stephanie Jennings
That night, Jennings shot the likes of Pearl Jam, Black Crowes, and radio shock-jock Howard Stern in his Fart Man persona. Live performers included the Crowes (who opened the show), Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bobby Brown, Def Leppard, En Vogue, Eric Clapton and Michael Jackson. Guns N’ Roses closed the ‘92 VMAs with an iconic performance of “November Rain” with Elton John guesting on piano.
Lenny Kravitz at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards. (Courtesy Stephanie Jennings)Stephanie Jennings
The 1993 Video Music Awards were hosted by actor Christian Slater. The night belonged to Pearl Jam, whose video for their hit song “Jeremy” notched four awards. She snapped angsty Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder in a series of lighthearted images of Vedder drinking booze and flipping his long mane. “He was fun,” she says. “He was up there not taking it too seriously.”
RuPaul at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards. (Courtesy Stephanie Jennings)Stephanie Jennings
That night, Jennings also shot the likes of Lenny Kravitz, U2 guitarist The Edge, and RuPaul, the latter of which was blown up for a full-page in People magazine. She says Kravitz’s handsomeness and high style made him a photographer’s dream.
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, left, and singer Anthony Kiedis mugging with crooner Tony Bennett at the VMAs. (Courtesy Stephanie Jennings)Stephanie Jennings
Her ’93 VMAs pics of Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea singer Anthony Kiedis mugging with crooner Tony Bennett captured the freewheeling vibe of classic-era VMAs. The awards show was first held in 1984.
1993 was the last VMAs appearance by Kurt Cobain, who 215 days later died by self-inflected gunshot wound, quoting a Neil Young lyric in his suicide note: “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.”
At the ’93 VMAs, though, the vibes were still good, and Jennings captured great images of Cobain and Nirvana. Her photos depict Cobain sweetly in dad mode, picking his nose as his infant daughter Francis Bean Cobain did the same.
Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and daughter Francis Bean Cobain at the 1993 MTV VMAs. (Courtesy Stephanie Jennings)Stephanie Jennings
“He was having fun being a dad,” Jennings says. “It was super interesting. He was just [about] him and Francis Bean. He didn’t care what the other guys [in Nirvana, drummer Dave Grohl and bassist Krist Novoselic] were doing. He was just totally into entertaining her.”
Rock band Nirvana at the 1993 MTV VMAs. (Courtesy Stephanie Jennings)Stephanie Jennings
That night, Jennings also shot hot photos of Courtney Love and Hole backstage. Love, a polarizing but talented and very rock and roll figure, on the ground, shown spread eagle between Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson and bassist Melissa Auf der Maur.
Hole singer Courtney Love, center, guitarist Eric Erlandson, left, and bassist Melissa Auf der Maur, right at the 1993 MTV VMAs. (Courtesy Stephanie Jennings)Stephanie Jennings
‘93 VMAs presenters included Keanu Reeves, Whoopi Goldberg, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and George Clinton, Sharon Stone, “Seinfeld” actor Michael Richards, “MTV Sports” host [and future “Seinfeld” guest star] Dan Cortese, Shaquille O’Neal and Peter Gabriel.
The rapper Notorious B.I.G. at the 1993 MTV VMAs. (Courtesy Stephanie Jennings)Stephanie Jennings
Live performances featured acts like Madonna, Sting, Aerosmith, Janet Jackson, Naughty By Nature, Soul Asylum and Spin Doctors.
In 1994, the VMAs moved to New York. Rosanne Barr hosted, and Michael Jackson and wife Lisa Marie Presley smooched onstage. Performers ranging from Boyz II Men to Smashing Pumpkins to Rolling Stones to Salt-n-Pepa to Beastie Boys to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Presenters included: Adam Sandler, Coolio, Naomi Campbell, David Letterman, Sheryl Crow, Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell, Ben Stiller and Public Enemy.
Jennings rented a $10,000 Canon camera lens for the ’94 VMAs. She also brought a tripod and, as she didn’t know where she’d get to shoot from, a step ladder.
In contrast to recent VMAs dominated by pop and rap, the ‘90s VMAs Jennings shot were when rock still ruled Earth. “It was perfect timing,” she says.
Like many others before and after in rock and roll orbits, Jennings got caught up in backstage excess. She’s now been sober for more than a decade though, and helps women in Huntsville do the same, with her Best Life Residencies.
Jennings’ photo archive includes, she says, literally a million photos. Her upcoming projects include a book detailing her journey. “It’ll be,” she says, “What it was like, what happened, what it’s like now.”
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